Charles eager stewart



Patented Dec. 20, |898.

, C. E. STEWART.

B 00 K B E S T.

(Application led Dec. 27,- 1897.)

(No ModeI.)

'wma dw? lNiTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES EAGER STEWART, OF WOODSTOOK, CANADA.

BOOK-REST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 616,367,6.ated December 20, 1898.

Application filed December 27,1897. Serial No. 663,562. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that l, CHARLEs EAGER STEW- ART, manufacturer, of the city of Woodstock, in the county of Oxford, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Book-Rests, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in book-rests; and the object of the invention is to design an automatically-adjustable rest more particularly applicable for large books, such as ledgers, in which it is necessary for writing and ruling that the opposite pages be substantially level; and it consists, essentially, oi. a bar having pivotally connected at the ends thereof arms which are pivotally connected to a double arm provided with rollers and pivotally held on a base-board upon which the holder device is supported, accntral curved rest being provided for the back ot' the book, so as vto centralize it, and the parts being arranged to operate in the manner hereinafter more particularly explained.

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved book-rest. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

A is the base-board of the rest.

B is a central rest-board grooved, as shown, to receive the back of the book. The book is shown in dotted lines in Fig. l and full lines in Fig. 2.

O is a narrow plate extending lengthwise of the board, in the center thereof, and passing through a slot D, made in the bottom of the center of the rest-board B.

E is a bar provided with selnicircular lugs c. at each end and at each side of the bar, the open end being preferably undermost.

F are arms having laterallyextending trunnions f, which extend under the semicircular lugs c. F' are lugs formed on the opposite side of the arm F, through which extends the central rod portion g of the U- shaped arms G, which U-shaped arms have bent free ends g', which extend into sockets .72', formed in the plate H, which is screwed to the base-board A, as indicated. The arms F and G are provided at each end of the bar E.

I are friction-rollers located on the rod portion g of the U-shaped arms G, one at each side of the arm F.

J are cushions secured to the base-boardA and located on such board directly in the path of the friction-rollers, which are designed when down to rest upon such cushions, and

Awhen going down such cushions prevent them making any noise.

Having now described the principal parts involved in my invention, I shall brieiiy describe its operation and utility. lVhen the book is placed in the position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l and full lines in Fig. 2, the weight of the heavier portion or pages of the book causes the arm F to fall and bring with it the arm G, thereby lowering the thick set of pages of the book, while the opposite thin set are correspondingly raised to a sub stantial level with the thick-page side. Oonsequently it will be readily seen that no matter how the book may be turned over, the arms F and sliding barE and arms G will accommodate themselves to the different thicknesses of pages, whether on one side or the other. It will thus be seen that the book may be used with very much more convenience and ruling, when necessary, much more easily accomplished.

My device cannot only be applied to large bookkeeping-books, but may be employed in reading-desks and various other classes of desks in which it is necessary to have the opposite pages oi' the book when opened level.

It will be noticed on reference to the drawings that I show three holes in the plate H. These holes are provided in order that the rest may be adjusted for different thicknesses of books.

IVhat I claim as my invention isl. An automatically-adjustable book-rest comprising abasc-board, a central longitudinal sliding bar extending underneath the back of the book, arms connected to each end thereof and means whereby when one arm is raised the one on the opposite end of the bar is depressed as and for the purpose specified.

2. An automatically-adjustable book-rest comprising a base-board, a central longitudinal sliding bar extending underneath the back of the book, arms connected to each end thereof, U-shaped arms having a horizontal por IOO tion pivotall y connected to the aforesaid arms and two sockets on the base-board as and for the purpose specified.

3. An automatically-adjustable book-rest comprising a base-board, a central longitudinal sliding bar extending underneath the back of the book, arms connected to each end thereof, U-shaped arms having a horizontal portion pivotallyconnected to the aforesaid arms and two sockets on the base-board and rollers on such horizontal portion as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination with the central grooved rest for the back binding of the book, of arms located on each side thereof and flexible sliding means for connecting the arms, so that when oneis depress/ed by one side of the book 

